Youkai Market
by silentblackblood
Summary: The Youkai Market is in truth a slave market, where youkai are sold as slaves of others. When the Northern lands fall, Kagome is captured and placed in the slave market, just when this happens, Sesshoumaru needs a mate. SessKag. No flames please.
1. Prologue

Youkai Market

Prologue

AN: My second try at a chapter story, please enjoy it and review!

Prologue:

Sesshoumaru glanced around the room with irritation clear in his eyes, though his face betrayed none of those emotions. He could hear the old advisors spitting out words as quickly as he slaughtered, obviously discussing that repulsive subject again. The younger, inexperienced advisors sat and listened to the decisions of the elders. After much chattering, all the advisors quieted and looked towards their lord. The oldest youkai of the community stood up and spoke.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, we have decided that it is about time that you acquire a mate."

"I heard you speak those words last summer," Sesshoumaru coldly replied, glaring icily at him.

Not heeding the glare and being bold, he continued, "We have decided to gift you with a piece of sapphire crescent in which Inutaisho-sama had used in his young days to acquire your mother as his mate. The stone will not choose wrong, it will give you the most suitable mate."

"Yet my father still left mother in search for a _human._ Tell me, if the sapphire is so accurate in its choice, why did father leave her?" Sesshoumaru gaze sharpened.

The elders grew wordless at his questioning, until Totosai decided to step up. "The sapphire did not choose wrong. At the time that it had seen your mother, Izayoi had yet to be born. It does not calculate the future women to exist."

"Indeed, how can you be so sure of this?" Sesshoumaru sneered at Totosai. "And if you lie, you will feel my claws."

Ignoring his threat, Totosai stated, "I was the one who crafted the piece of sapphire into a crescent, at the same time locking a piece of the kami's soul inside."

Totosai held out the crescent with wrinkled fingers, placing it in front of Sesshoumaru for him to see. Sesshoumaru took a glance at the sapphire and dismissed it as an old piece of antique, until it gave off an eerie glow.

"When it glows, it shows that it has claimed its owner. It glows white when the appropriate female is nearby. Remember this, there may be more than one suitable female, and you must choose out of them. Also remember, the gem is only considerate of the age, heritage, family background and history, and beauty. It will not look into a person's personality so it is up to you to find out."

Sesshoumaru looked at the stone in distaste, why can't the damn stone just choose the best one? He hated having to 'filter' through people; it was the most tiring errand on earth, not to mention that this time he would probably dealing with bitches. Following Totosai's description, he might even have to deal with the arrogant toad of the East. She had passable looks, but her etiquette and pronunciation of words were just unbearable. She put the creators of the Japanese language to shame.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, please accept and choose an appropriate female to stand by your side! The western land is in need of a mistress!" the advisors all bowed towards Sesshoumaru, looking forward to the choice of the gem. After all, last time it had been active, it had made some interesting choices besides Sesshoumaru's mother.

AN: a really REALLY short chapter, prologue, whatever. Sorry about that, but the future chapters should be longer. That, is a promise!


	2. Chapter One

Youkai Market

Chapter One

Taking notice of the fact that it was time for his daily patrol, Sesshoumaru set off in a swirl of his own jaki and departed for the countryside. He hated patrolling; he had to deal with mindless idiots who were attempting to kill their protector, humans in particular.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, you forgot the crescent sapphire!" Jaken squawked behind him.

Sesshoumaru glanced back at his retainer. Why couldn't he just shut up for once? Besides, there was minimal chance that he would meet a suitable female during his patrolling time. Considering heritage, there was no suitable female in his lands. Just that single category practically crossed out every single female of the population.

He once again attempted to take flight on his jaki, thanking the Kami that there was no further disturbance that would keep him from finishing the tedious job earlier.

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As Sesshoumaru flew across the countryside, the scenes below never ceased to fascinate him, ever since he had been a child. The lush green leaves of the forest, the rush of the cool river, and of course the beautiful coloring of the flowers. It wasn't until the sapphire suddenly violently vibrated that Sesshoumaru was brought out of his thoughts.

He was astounded by the fact that it had reacted so quick in discovering a suitable female. Seeing as how his life needed a break from the normal, boring routine, Sesshoumaru decided to see just what type of female the jewel would choose.

As he landed by the edge of the woods, his disgust showed up on his face. In front of him was a market, an auction named the "Youkai Market." It was a place where all youkai gathered to auction and sell concubines, servants, prostitutes, slaves, virgins. This was no place a lord like him should enter, only when he needed servants were needed did he occasionally send Jaken. He himself had crossed this place often, but never entered it.

Glaring at the jewel resting in his palm, Sesshoumaru idly wondered what the heck it meant by taking him here. This place was full of disgusting youkai; ones were equivalent to the lower youkai. Maybe this was what the counsel had meant by him having to look through the people the jewel chose. No matter, he would take a look. If the jewel pointed to a prostitute, he would be off within seconds.

The jewel started turning pale, the color fading to become white when he stepped inside the market, but it had not started glowing. His nose was bombarded with the thick scent of sweat, sex, and other disgusting scents he didn't even want to mention. He wondered why an aristocratic youkai like himself should enter here because of a damn stone.

There were category plates hung on trees which separated the market into sections, and he silently prayed that the stone would lead him to the virgin section; he had no wish to consider a whore as his mate. Then again, Totosai had mentioned that the female's background would be considered, had something gone wrong?

To his surprise and anxiousness, the jewel led him to the section labeled "Captured", meaning that whichever innocent female had been captured to serve the youkai. He swiftly entered the grounds, ignoring the guards that were protesting of his entry into a place which was forbidden for guests. One look at his crescent, though, silenced them as they allowed the lord entry.

The stone was glowing an eerie white now, the color bright but not hurting his sensitive youkai eyes. If it were not because of his well-known self-control, he would have gaped at the sight.

In front of him there was a black inu, a nine-tailed one that had been rumored to be extinct. Naturally, they would want to sell it at a high price. Sesshoumaru recognized it as a female and the stone was emitting a blinding color now, approving of the female.

Her paws and neck were held down by thick braids of leather that dug into her sleek black fur. Eyes flashing red, she attempted to throw off the men with no success, the sleeping powder taking its toll on her. He watched as her strength left her, ruby eyes glittering with hatred and fury. If she were to get free, all those men would be dead within seconds.

Sesshoumaru took a good look at her once she fell into slumber. Her nine tails curled comfortably at her sides, twin ears still twitching despite the fact that its owner had lost consciousness. She was well groomed, with a snow-white teardrop at the center of her forehead and one jagged crimson mark on either side of her cheeks and paws.

A frowned found its way to Sesshoumaru's features. Those were the royal markings of the Northern lands, how did the lass acquire those? Then a memory flashed in his mind as he distinctively remembering the council mentioning a few weeks ago that the Northern land had been destroyed by a despicable hanyou by the name of Naraku. Her family had been slaughtered, she the only known survival of the nine-tail clan.

This particular clan's women had miko powers, it was no wonder that Naraku had tried to acquire them. But since they had refused his 'friendly' offer, he had responded with bloodshed. Sesshoumaru was glad that the other two lords had taken care of that repulsive lord. He would not allow any other to gain the power he desired. It was also rumored, that the infamous Shikon jewel rested within one of the family members.

Looking at the exotic creature in front of him, Sesshoumaru concluded that she must have the Shikon jewel somewhere with her as Naraku had found nothing in the remains of her family. How had a creature with such beauty and grace been captured so easily? His nose took a whiff of the sleeping powder and his eyes narrowed; they had used a poison that could somehow damage the brain system. It was a common potion slave dealers used so that the slave would forget all pain and follow only his or her master's orders. It was a revolting powder Sesshoumaru regretted coming across, and the great lord seldom regretted.

"Give her the antidote." He hissed at one of the slave traders, his disc like eyes never once leaving the astounding female creature.

"But…but…milord, she would slaughter us all, and without hesitation!" he protested.

Sesshoumaru's eyes left her for one split second to shoot a glare at the offensive male, before returning to her, "I will hold her down. After this, I wish to take her without the auction."

"Milord! She is not trained! Surely a lord such as yourself would want the female to be trained before…" poor slave trader, he never finished his sentence.

"Silence!" Sesshoumaru cut through, "I will be responsible for training her myself. As for the money, I will have Jaken send two thousand coins later. I'm sure that it is more than enough."

The slave trader knew that Sesshoumaru was being fair, as that was the normal price of a rare breed. But the breed of this female was in the afterworld besides her! She was worth more than just a 'rare breed' would worth! Yet knowing that his life was at stake, he wisely chose to remain silent and scrambled off to fetch the antidote for the lord.

Sesshoumaru continued studying the female, noticing more and more details every time he looked at her. For example, her paws were powerful and thickly lined with muscles, but they were not bulky but had a feminine outline to them. Her eyelashes were long, and her claws were longer than the average female youkai. At the same time, those lethal claws were thinner, and Sesshoumaru knew that they were sharper than those stubby nails some female bitches called claws. She had densely packed fur, sleek and shiny. He had to squelch the urge to reach out and run his claws through.

The slave trader returned with a flask full of transparent liquid. After placing few drops between the female's fangs, Sesshoumaru prepared for transformation himself.

Her eyelids fluttered, Sesshoumaru's markings became jagged and his face lengthened.

Her eyes blinked open, Sesshoumaru disappeared in a ball of white.

Her previous anger came back full force and she snarled after standing up, Sesshoumaru landed in front of her in his powerful form.

_What is your name? _Sesshoumaru asked in the tongue of the inuyoukai.

_None of your business, bastard, let me leave!_

_Bitch, learn your place. Your homelands no longer exist and you are not much better than a commoner. You are in MY lands, obey._

She snapped her fangs at him at the mention of her homeland in a pile of dust. That despicable hanyou!

_I belong nowhere with you! Let me go, or I will release my purification powers!_

Just as she was saying this, her body started to glow a baby blue, her miko powers seeping out of her very pores. Sesshoumaru pounced before she could fully release and gather her powers though, and pinned her towards the floor. The crash of the two large inu blew up a dense cloud of dust. The slave traders could no longer see anything. When they did, the female inu was unconscious and Sesshoumaru was over her.

As there was no longer any jaki supporting her inu form, she returned to her original humanoid form. Sesshoumaru took one look and took note that she was just as extraordinary as he thought, perhaps even better. He had gotten a slight look at her human eyes before she fell unconscious, and was astounded at the swirls of cerulean in her orbs. Other than that, she remained as she had been in her inu form.

"Bring me a chain and appropriate kimono of silk. I will give you a separate two hundred for the kimono."

The slave trader rushed off to collect the items that the intimidating youkai lord required. They had spent more than twelve hours in an attempt to bring the female down, and that was with the use of the potion. 10 of his men had received serious injuries, and more than 10 had been slaughtered. But he had thought it was worth it, for acquiring such a gorgeous woman. The youkai lord had taken her down within 30 seconds, and it spoke greatly of his strength. Then again, it could be that the inu had been extremely weary when Sesshoumaru had approached her.

Sesshoumaru took a glance at the kimono that the slave trader had returned with. It was a kimono for a concubine. He inwardly growled, he did not want this woman to become a concubine. She was too precious and perfect to be a concubine. Not to mention, the gem had wished for her to become his mate.

He would take her as his mate.

But for now, the kimono would be acceptable. He would simply cover as much of her as possible. After all, they wouldn't have an appropriate kimono. How often do you see a youkai looking for a mate in the slave trading market?

Sesshoumaru covered the female with the kimono and attached the leather chain to her neck. This particular chain would stop her miko powers from escaping, and would keep her jaki locked in.

"I will send Jaken before the sun sets."

The slave trader gave a nod, all of them bowing before their lord as he took for air.

Abandoning the rest of his patrol, Sesshoumaru returned to his estate, gingerly placing the delicate female on a separate futon. He knew that there would be chaos once he arose, so naturally he would have to stay here and watch over her. Even if she didn't have her miko and jaki, her lethal claws could still cause quite a lot of damage. If she were to wake while he were gone, there would be no knowing of how much money he would have to spend on re-furnishing the place.

As the seconds ticked by, Sesshoumaru could not help but grow impatient, how much sleep did a damn female need? He had been sitting by the futon for over four hours, yet her eyelids remained shut. It wouldn't hurt for him to leave for a few seconds. After all, if she wasn't awake after four hours, she wouldn't be awake much later. With that being said, Sesshoumaru made the most idiotic choice in his life he knew later in his life that he sincerely regretted.

He left in search of food, at the same time sending Jaken to give the payment.

As soon as his dominating form left, Kagome's eyelids opened to a droopy point. She growled at the collar around her, she knew it well. Playing sleep was the best decision, he had left and now she had a chance to escape.

Kagome rose from the futon, keeping in mind to make the sound minimal. With a Taiyoukai like Sesshoumaru, he could hear a pin drop in this room in his current position. Her mind searched out the different auras within the large building, scanning for exits and ways in which she could depart unnoticed. There was only one route, and that single route went underground and would make her stink like a bobcat. Her delicate nose wrinkled at the thought of having to enter the underground sewer. Once in her childhood, she had fallen into it and the smell was perhaps the worst smell she had ever come across since birth.

Sigh, the things one does for freedom.

When a female entered the locked doors to present her with food, she paid an apology to the wide-eyed female before choking her till she was unconscious. Carefully placing the female on the futon, she quickly switched their clothing so that no one would notice a difference. As most servants do, they ones here covered their scents in case the lord's nose was too sensitive. No one would notice a difference as long as the clothing remained the same.

She devoured the food and abandoned the food tray, making sure that the servant was still asleep before leaving. Sensing the sewer trapdoor, Kagome looked around and made sure no one had seen her and slipped into the dark pitch, gently closing the lid in case someone heard.

Something ticked in Sesshoumaru's mind; he whirled around and narrowed his eyes at the empty hallway. Something was off in the palace, and there was everything to do with the stubborn female he had brought back only hours ago. With that thought in mind, Sesshoumaru set off to the room that he had left her in.

He felt a snarl tear from his throat when he noticed the person lying on the floor was one of his servants instead of the raven-haired woman. Sesshoumaru expressed his rage by slamming the doors shut and following the scent of the bothersome woman. Damn, why couldn't she just stay in one place? His fury rose as the female's scent disappeared mere meters away from the door right at where two corridors crossed each other, it would be much harder to track her down like this.

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Kagome gave a sniff of herself and scowled at the scent that was now on her, the scent was worse and stronger than she thought. If the scent clung onto her, even has masking spell would be unable to keep all of the scent from escaping and reaching Sesshoumaru's nose.

"Damn him for forcing me into this!" Kagome snarled.

Not only had she been forced out of her own homelands by Naraku, but she had been captured on her way to the Eastern lands where the wolves were in alliance with them. The slave traders had used the sleeping powder on her and that silver-haired inuyoukai just had to come at this time and intend to use her as a slave. She would not allow this!

Infusing some of her miko powers in her feet, Kagome sprinted off with a new burst of speed, hoping to reach the exit that led to the outside world as quickly as possible. She would rather die than serve that inuyoukai if it meant the sacrifice of her honor.

Her nose and speed helped a lot in this particular little 'explore' of hers, and quickly led her to an exit that was in Inuyasha's forest. She hopped out of the opening, hoping not to be noticed.

"Oi, who are you wench?" a gruff voice barked at her.

Kagome whirled around and bent down in defense position, watching as another youkai entered with…a miko? Her eyes blinked and widened with surprise as she noticed the twin puppy ears upon the youkai's head. Not youkai…

"Hanyou…?"

Apparently not too happy with the pointing out of his supposedly 'disgraceful' heritage as his brother had put it as, Inuyasha replied, "Keh, so what? I could kick the ass of any youkai at any given day."

"Please tell us why you are here," with a monotone voice, Kikyo raised her bow and pointed an arrow towards Kagome.

"I don't mean any harm; I will leave if you would be so kind to give me some food and some clothing." Kagome dropped her fighting stance and stood straight and proud.

"Northern hime…" Kikyo muttered.

"Naraku wiped out my homeland a while ago," Kagome hissed.

Kikyo nodded in understanding, "Follow me. Inuyasha, go look around to see if anyone followed her here."

"In the underground sewer?" Inuyasha snorted in disbelief.

"Go look."

Inuyasha grunted and muttered about insolent woman, before going the way in which he knew the underground sewer went. The Western palace was where the sewer came from, what did the girl have to do with his bastard brother?

Kagome and Kikyo walked through the forest in silence, making Kagome nervous and skittish at the unusual quietness of the miko in front of her.

"I know that you are Higurashi Kagome, the one that Naraku never had the pleasure of finding in the ashes of the Northern palace. I am Kikyo, priestess of the area you see and that was Inuyasha, the one who protects this place."

"A landlord?" Kagome asked curiously, dropping her guard a little sensing that she was no threat.

"Not quite. He was…exiled by his brother and a small piece of land was given to him out of the youkai counsel's generosity because he was the son of the previous Western lord." (AN: was that true that he was exiled by Sesshoumaru? Not sure…)

Kagome instantly quieted as she realized the situation Inuyasha was in. The fierce warrior part of her that she had showed to Sesshoumaru disappeared and was replaced with a feeling of pity for Inuyasha. Perhaps they were similar people, exiled by the new lord that ruled the lands they had once lived in.

They walked the rest of the way without another word until they reached a village. Kikyo stopped by a hut and said, "My sister Kaede is inside, she will tend to you. There are other villagers that need my help. Leave once you get what you came here for, our village is peaceful and we don't want to attract unwanted visitors."

Kagome stilled at her words, a bitter sigh escaping her lips. Though it was true, seeing as her lands had just fallen and Naraku was most likely out looking for her. At the same time, there was that irritating inuyoukai that had probably noticed she was gone by now. But then, this hospitality was enough.

"Thank you, Kikyo-san."

Kikyo nodded and left, seeking to tend to a little girl who had broken her leg.

"Sorry for bothering, is Kaede-san here?" Kagome asked politely.

"Not san, use chan!" a young voice piped up.

Kagome looked to the side of the hut and spotted a young girl arranging medical bottles in there correct orders.

"Is there something you wanted? I'm Kaede."

"Ah…yeah, Kikyo-san told me to come here for something to fill up my stomach. Also, can I please change into something else?"

"Understood," Kaede said with a smile as she finished arranging the last of the bottles.

Kagome went through some thoughtful routes while watching Kaede prepare stew. Where would she go now that the Northern lands were no longer under her family's rule? How would she live considering her present situation? The Northern clan mark would prove to be a hindrance to her, not to mention that she was the only one left of the clan. People would seek her, either to kill her or attempt to gain her power.

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Inuyasha's nose twitched at the scent that reached his nose, he honestly did not feel with dealing with that bastard right now.

"Oi, come out you bastard, I can smell you," Inuyasha said while pulling out Tetsusaiga.

Sesshoumaru stepped from the illusions of the trees and looked at Inuyasha with a bored look. He had merely been following the most obvious path that the nine-tail inu had gone, and somehow he ended up facing Inuyasha.

"Leave, hanyou, I merely wish to retrieve something of mine."

"Keh, as if I'd let you into my territory," Inuyasha prepared Tetsusaiga, facing Sesshoumaru with a look of determination and anger.

Sesshoumaru stepped aside a path that would not be blocked by Inuyasha, and simply set forward in the direction he believed the black inu was heading, there was no way he was asking that hanyou whether or not he had seen her.

"Bastard, don't ignore me! And stop heading towards the direction of my village!" Inuyasha snarled.

"It does not concern this Sesshoumaru." Sesshoumaru continued forward, not in the least disturbed by Inuyasha's words.

Inuyasha growled at Sesshoumaru's retreating back and swung Tetsusaiga at him, aiming for Sesshoumaru's spine.

"Don't turn your back to your opponent."

Inuyasha's eyes widened as the form of Sesshoumaru faded and disappeared.

"That is what I should say, _hanyou._" A voice sneered near Inuyasha's ear.

Inuyasha turned around, just in time to feel Sesshoumaru's fist in his face and feel himself being thrown backwards. Owww…that was one powerful punch. Sesshoumaru continued forward as if he had never been interrupted, ignoring Inuyasha who was lying in a messed up pile after being thrown through six trees. Though not unconscious, he wasn't in the best position to get up again.

"Since when did he get so emotional to deliver a punch like that…must be in a hurry…" Inuyasha grumbled.

Sesshoumaru strolled forward, trusting the stone that rested within his palm as it began to glow. Ah yes, this was after all the direction in which that woman had headed in. Even if she didn't intend to allow him to sense her, the sapphire stone would always inform him of her whereabouts.

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The villagers screamed as they saw the white form of Sesshoumaru appear from the shadows. Most dropped their work and immediately ran back to their homes, screaming for Kikyo-sama to rescue them. Kikyo paused her work at bandaging the girl's leg before turning around with her bow and arrow, showing no sign of fear at the sight of the Western Taiyoukai.

"What business do you have here, youkai?" Kikyo spoke with a cool voice while pulling back her bow.

"To retrieve what is mine," Sesshoumaru said without sparing her a glance, trying to sense where the girl was.

Kikyo narrowed her eyes, her calculative mind immediately sorting things out and realizing that it was the inuyoukai she had brought back with her that Sesshoumaru sought.

"Leave, or I'll shoot," Kikyo tightened her pull even more, getting ready to release the arrow.

Sesshoumaru ignored her and walked towards the hut in which he knew the inuyoukai had entered, meeting just in time as Kagome walked out of the hut.

"Why are you here?" Kagome hissed as she saw who was at the doorstep.

"I told you not to bring trouble," Kikyo frowned.

Kagome sent a look of apology at Kikyo, but she had a problem of her own. The inuyoukai standing directly in front of her was currently a threat that she felt the need to get rid of, and she wasn't about to bring trouble to the village that had provided her with food.

"You were not permitted to leave," Sesshoumaru stated.

"Since when do I need to ask you whether or not I want to leave?" Kagome hissed at him, her eyes transforming red as her anger rose.

"I bought you at the Youkai Market."

Kagome stilled at his words. The…slave market!? She thought…! So she didn't escape and be captured again, this inuyoukai in front of her had bought her fair and square and now held ownership over her. But would she bend towards a male?

"What…is your name?" Kagome asked hesitantly.

"Sesshoumaru, Taiyoukai of the Western lands."

So the person who had bought her was the Taiyoukai of the Western lands. What use would he have of her? He certainly didn't need to buy concubines, seeing as his beauty would have attracted many court ladies to be his bed partner. Certainly not a servant, because she wouldn't have woken up in such a fabulous room. At the same time, she would have been killed if she had been bought to be a servant.

What use did he have of her?

"Why did you 'buy' me?" Kagome timidly asked.

"It does not concern you."

Kagome was ticked by his words, "What do you mean it doesn't concern me!? You BOUGHT me; I'm sure as hell that THAT has something that concerns me!"

Kikyo retreated at the sight, apparently the Taiyoukai had no business with the people of the village, and Kagome could deal with him.

"We will deal with your lack of manners later, you will need to come back with me, I have already announced you as the Western lady," Sesshoumaru stated with little emotion.

"Eh…?" Kagome was stuck in absolute confusion; did she just hear what she thought she heard? Judging by the look of the villagers peeking through the gap of their front door, she had heard correctly.

"Bu…but…why would you BUY a mate?" Kagome stuttered, was he insane to look for a mate in the slave market?

Sesshoumaru raised an eyebrow at her, clearly not thinking there was anything wrong in doing that. He waited a while, wishing that he would not have to take Kagome by force. It was a lot better when she came willingly.

:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P:P

AN: I'm so evil, but the truth is that the writing stopped 'flowing out of my mind.' Comments, reviews please:P Hope you enjoyed reading this, ja ne!


	3. Chapter Two

AN: Can anyone tell me how to make the words italic on A Single Spark? Every time I copy and paste a story, the words which are supposed to be italic return to normal font. It's really annoying, because some of my stories NEED italics.

Youkai Market

Chapter Two

Kagome groaned as the bright morning sun shone above her head. Damn, the stupid inu had to insist that she would be trained to act as a mate should. When she protested that she had been the Northern hime and knew everything she needed to know about etiquette, Sesshoumaru had to claim that she was but a girl and didn't understand the concept of mating and what it entailed.

Kagome being Kagome and having to deal with the sudden turn of events, slammed the door in Sesshoumaru's face and proceeded to dress for sleep. Though Sesshoumaru followed after her and entered, refusing to leave until she gave a proper apology. Of course, the apology had been rather forced and Kagome's mind was cursing him just as she had been apologizing.

Now as she woke, her keen eyes caught sight of a kimono resting at the bench beside the entrance to the hot springs (one thing she had been glad about, she had a private hot spring) along with a matching silk slipper. Making sure that she had brought a towel with her, Kagome entered the hot springs and moaned as her tense muscles relaxed. After all, the scent of the sewer WAS rather hard to get rid of.

"Kagome-sama, please come quickly, you're already late for the beginning of the training and Sesshoumaru-sama is not happy!"

Kagome groaned at the sound of her assigned maid, turning around in the hot springs and shutting her eyes, pretending that she had not heard a sound. To hell with that 'Taiyoukai of the Western lands', she sure didn't want to bother with him at such peaceful times.

"Kagome-sama, please hurry! I'll be dismissed if Sesshoumaru-sama discovers that I have not been doing my duty!" her frantic voice went through the door straight into her sensitive ears.

"I'm coming!" Kagome near snarled.

She did not mean to be cruel to the maid, but she honestly did not want any business with Sesshoumaru. But after all, if the maid was going to be fired if she was ignored, then she might as well keep her alive by not getting her fired.

"You're late."

Kagome crossed her arms, her tail snapping impatiently on the floor.

"Hurry up with the crap; I want to get some sleep."

She tensed when she saw Sesshoumaru's eyes thin, but it wasn't the nasty type, rather seeming like he was mocking her.

"Wh-what?" Kagome stuttered.

"Sleep? Nasako, tell your lady what her schedule is."

"After a spar with Sesshoumaru-sama, Kagome-sama has a lesson with me on dance and tea, and then she has a lesson of the silver inu clan history with Myouga-san, then a lesson of the mating rituals with Totosai-san."

All was silent for a few seconds, and you could hear the chirping of the birds as they gave a warm welcome to the sun as it came up.

"EH!?" a scream of disbelief could be heard throughout the castle.

"You would wisely keep your mouth shut." Sesshoumaru spoke haughtily, enjoying the look on Kagome's face as it turned a few shades of different colors.

"Why would I, have to listen to such an arrogant jerk like you."

"Because if you don't, on the day of the mating ceremony, I will make sure that you absolutely embarrass yourself in front of all the elders, people who knew your father rather well."

Her jaws tensed at his words, yes she remembered those old fools, and she had been well acquainted with those fools at the age of 5.

Of course, the lessons on etiquette and dance and tea would be quite easy for her, as she had learned them before even as a hime, but the problem was the lessons of silver inu clan history and mating rituals. First, she had no reason to study the history of a clan that had 0 relationships with her, and she had no intention of learning about mating rituals.

Since young, Kagome had supported the notion of a single woman, although it was an idea that was rather rejected by both her parents and the neighboring lords. All of them refused to leave her unmated, and insisted on bringing their sons to her to see whether or not she would choose one of them.

"Fine, I'll take the lessons."

Sesshoumaru stared at her blankly, knowing that such a stubborn female would not agree to his rules and adapt so quickly.

Seeing that Sesshoumaru was looking at her with a suspicious look, Kagome continued on.

"Fine fine, I'll only do it if you allow me rest whenever I want." Hearing Sesshoumaru's growl, she said, "You can ignore that proposal. I want to have the best chefs making my breakfast, lunch, dinner, and I can eat as much of whatever I want. I refuse to accept the bread and milk I had for breakfast this morning."

"Of course."

Kagome grinned; Sesshoumaru would regret ever agreeing to that rule. She was known to have the best appetite in the whole of Japan, and it was well known that she could easily clean at least 20 cows in her youkai form. Surprisingly, she never seemed to gain weight.

Must be the exercise.

"You have wasted much time, we begin now." Sesshoumaru commanded as he brought forth Tokijin.

Kagome licked her lips and randomly grabbed a sword, immediately infusing it with her miko powers once she spotted Sesshoumaru's sword glowing an evil green light. Bring it on, she wanted to release some pent up frustration. It was time that the arrogant bastard learned that not all females would bend at the sight of his pretty hair.

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Kagome snarled as she remembered her uneventful day. First it was the spar with Sesshoumaru.

She wasn't the best warrior in the Northern lands, but she had had enough confidence to beat that conceited puppy. From the day that she had been born, her mind had always been calculative and good at battle tactics, and her brain had already formulated a plan at the start of the spar.

Yet all her plans were smashed into pieces once battle began.

The young female could not believe the rate of reaction of Sesshoumaru. He deflected every single one of her kicks and slashes, successfully blocking her every attempt. Yet when it was his turn to attack, Kagome had left the dojo with pretty much a scratch covering every inch of her body.

To hell with it.

Needless to say, the next lesson of dance and tea with Nasako had been rather disastrous. Her mood had been in a foul mode and she constantly snapped at the innocent Nasako. Never mind that, but dance and tea had been something she had also been rather confident in, today she seemed to always trip on the hem of her kimono.

But the thing that made her skin crawl was taking the lesson on the history of the white inu clan with Myouga-jiichan. He constantly told the wrong version of the story, and many times had to interrupt their lesson by going to check on books. Whenever Sesshoumaru came to check upon them, Myouga seemed to disappear and Sesshoumaru would expertly find him and bring him back between his claws as if used to his behavior.

Kagome had no idea why Sesshoumaru chose a coward and a history idiot to teach her history.

At last, the lesson on mating rituals with Totosai. He would constantly repeat what he had said and when Kagome complained he would say, "Huh? I don't remember saying that. Did I say that?"

Her teachers (besides Nasako), were all FREAKS. Damn freaks that made her want to pull her hair out.

Two weeks of the same routine, and she was getting tired. When at last she thought she could finally relax in her bath tub, Nasako barged in and dragged her out of the hot springs and dressed her once again in an elaborate kimono.

"Sesshoumaru-sama insisted that you dine with him!"

Well, there goes a good dinner ruined.

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"Woman, you are late." Sesshoumaru growled.

Kagome shrugged and replied, "I don't give a damn."

Sesshoumaru's eyes tinted red at her behavior. She overstepped her lines when it came to speaking to her mate-to-be.

Kagome had only just reached the long table and prepared to sit down before she felt a rush of wind and felt her back connect with the wall. It happened so fast she barely recognized what had happened until she saw Sesshoumaru directly in front of her.

"What did I tell you about keeping your mouth shut?" he hissed in a non-too friendly tone of voice.

"I have done my best to play your little game of mating, but to tell the truth I am quite sick of it! Listen here boy, I'm a grown woman, and I don't need to listen to such a prick like you to tell me what I need and what I want. And I certainly don't need your hand outs! Release me at once! As for the two thousand coins you paid for this bitch, I will have them returned soon enough!" as if emphasizing her point, she tore off the kimono and jewelry he had provided her with, revealing another silk kimono that she had made herself in the little spare time in two weeks.

A resounding slap.

Kagome held her red cheek as her head whipped to the side with the force of his slap. No one had dared to slap her. Perhaps she had been disciplined with spanking by her father and mother, but none had dared to slap her. Now this youkai, who she knew nothing of, who knew nothing about her, who had barged into her life, had slapped her!? They were little more than strangers, and she wasn't going to back down.

Sesshoumaru snatched her wrist as soon as he spotted her claws glowing blue. "Do not even think about it, bitch. You spar with me every single morning, what ever made you think that you would win?"

A yelp escaped her lips as Sesshoumaru applied slight more pressure against her wrist, making sure that his claws bit into her porcelain skin.

"Jaken, prepare the dungeons. Kagome Higurashi, you are to stay there until you are capable of communicating with more manners."

He carried her upon his shoulders like a sack of potatoes, ignoring her snarling and snapping of fangs. So maybe his shoulder hurt a little from the burning of her miko powers, but would he look weak in front of his servants and guards?

Hell not.

"Release me, you bastard! You have no right!" Kagome roared.

She gasped as Sesshoumaru cut off her air supply, tightly gripping her throat. It was then she noticed that they were in the dungeons, a place lined with torture devices and cells that were filled with loathe and fear.

Sesshoumaru threw her roughly into one of the cells by her neck, making sure not too use more force than enough. If she had been a human, her neck would have snapped and she would have been dead.

"Treat her well, I don't want to find a single bruise or scratch on her."

Kagome coughed and sputtered as she finally regained her air supply, glaring vehemently at Sesshoumaru's retreating back.

So started Kagome's refusal of eating.

Kagome curled up at the corner of the cell and ignored every action around her, including the people who attempted to converse with her. Once, Nasako had been sent down to convince her to apologizing, to which Kagome snorted and insisted that she wished to sleep, therefore driving Nasako out. When the guards brought forth mouth-watering food that the other prisoners envied, Kagome would simply ignore the food and give it to her cell neighbor.

She refused to wipe away the blood she had spat out when Sesshoumaru had slapped her, and refused to change out of her dirtied kimono that sported stains of her own blood.

"That was Sesshoumaru's intent wasn't it?" she had told Jaken who had squawked and complained about her lack of respect to his lord.

Kagome had made sure Jaken went out of her cell with a few bruises.

However well-trained her body was, it still needed food and started to crumble when Kagome went on two weeks without food.

"Kagome..." A soothing baritone echoed in her cell.

For the first time, her eyes shifted from the cell wall and she turned to look apathetically at the youkai who seemed…see through?

The youkai was the most feminine male that she had ever seen, much more than Sesshoumaru. Whereas Sesshoumaru still had a masculine aura laced within his feminine air, the inuyoukai who stood in front of her now completely pushed away her thoughts of Sesshoumaru as a beauty.

The youkai in front of her was…indescribable.

His fire red hair streaked down towards his waist, burning with an intensity that made Kagome's eyes lose its focus. Then there were those smoldering molten eyes, a sharp contrast against his ruby hair. His face ended with a smooth V, making him seem more like a female. The youkai stood about the same height as Sesshoumaru, yet his shoulders were narrower and he had wings instead of a tail.

Pure white wings.

She wished to reach out and touch the silky looking feathers, but reminded herself she didn't know who he was.

"Who…are you?" she timidly asked, angry at herself for using a voice of a six year old.

He slowly knelt down, gently cupping her face and leaning in towards her, much too close for her likings.

"Who am I…you ask. You can say that I'm the guardian of the Youkai Market. I make sure that none of the respectable youkai 'sold' from the Youkai Market are mistreated. Royalties turned slaves, virgins and unwilling youkai to be sold. As for my name…you may address me as Akuran."

Kagome gasped at his soothing voice, the complete opposite of Sesshoumaru's raging and demanding voice.

"Why are you here?" she asked, gaining control of herself as she pushed Akuran's body away from her.

He laughed, "Dear little Kagome, didn't I tell you? I make sure that the youkai sold from the Youkai Market are not abused, like you for instance." Akuran fingered her hair, "I can tell that you haven't bathed for two weeks, that isn't how our people should be treated like. Sesshoumaru…I would have to see him about this."

Kagome gazed at him, confused.

He chuckled, placing a soft kiss upon her forehead, "Don't worry, you'll be out of here soon enough."

Then with a flash, he was gone as if he had never been there. Kagome blinked, barely remembering where she was. The glowing figure before her was gone, and she questioned whether or not that had all been just an illusion.

"Who was that?" a rough growl.

Kagome gasped as she spotted Sesshoumaru staring down her from the outside of her cell, glowering red orbs threatening to burn holes through her body. The scene of another male youkai cupping her face had set his beast free, roaring with rage and banging against its cage.

"I don't think that it's any of your business, Sesshoumaru-sama," Kagome responded coldly.

"How many times to I have to tell you, bitch, you are to become my mate. How dare you associate with another male!" he snarled at Kagome, poison burning on the tip of his claws.

She wasn't going to back down this time. If Akuran was as much as a guardian as he had said, she would not so easily be harmed by Sesshoumaru.

"Sesshoumaru-sama, I would advise you not to further abuse her," Kagome spotted Akuran right behind Sesshoumaru.

His claws slashed out as he recognized the voice of the male who had just been with Kagome. His anger was raised another few notches as he spotted Kagome's admiring gaze at the damnable youkai who had easily escaped his claws.

"Tsk, tsk, Sesshoumaru Taisho, always so quick to lose his temper. Not the iceberg he's rumored to be, right, hime-chan?" Akuran mocked, placing his claws tauntingly close to Sesshoumaru's heart before disappearing once again.

"Would you like to leave?"

Kagome watched in fascination at the smiling anger that appeared before her again and held his hand gentlemanly towards her. It was rather tempting, considering the fact that Sesshoumaru had always somewhat abused her.

"Is it allowed for the guardian to take away a slave that I BOUGHT!?" Sesshoumaru growled.

She winced, it wasn't pleasant to be reminded that she had only been bought and her title of Lady of the Western lands was something Sesshoumaru had given her.

"Ahhh, about that, it's for the guardian, in other words me, to decide. As for the money, it can be easily returned. After all, you only came to find Kagome-sama because of that mate-finding stone. Surely it could find another mate for you?"

Kagome gasped; so that was why she had suddenly turned from being captured to being the Lady of the Western lands. It was because of a stupid stone. It was how her parents had mated, and their mating had never been peaceful. There had even been an occasion in which her mother had nearly been slaughtered by her father for their disagreement on their concubines.

Her father had said that if it weren't for the stone then she would not be his mate, and that she should be grateful. She had hollered back that he should have considered being loyal. Then they had both been injured.

Eyes narrowed at the thought of the stone, and here she thought she was of some importance to Sesshoumaru. In truth, she meant nothing, only an object that his stone had led him to. She was easily replaceable by any other female, as long as his stone approved of it.

"Well, Sesshoumaru-sama, do you think that I should take up the offer?" Kagome snidely asked.

Sesshoumaru glared at the woman; she wouldn't dare. Seeing his look, Kagome raised an eyebrow as if to say 'Wouldn't I' and smirked, knowing that it would annoy the hell out of Sesshoumaru.

"Don't you even think about it, bitch!" Sesshoumaru unlocked her cell, just as Akuran pulled up a shield of purity that burned Sesshoumaru's fingers.

His fingers burned, but despite that continued slamming his body against the barrier. He was the most powerful youkai alive, and refused to be humiliated by a stranger! The smell of burning skin and clothing reached his sensitive nose, yet he refused to acknowledge it, knowing that Akuran was about to leave with Kagome.

"What do you think, Ka-go-me?" Akuran grinned, showing his pearl-white fangs and already knowing her answer.

"I-I'll go with you."

A flash and everything disappeared.

A howl could be heard throughout the Western lands as an angry lord lost sight of his mate-to-be.


	4. Chapter Three

AN: to those people who think that the story has been too rushed, I apologize. When I wrote the last chapter, things were getting really messed up in my life and I just didn't have the heart to write out details. Sorry about the rushed story! takes a deep bow

Youkai Market

Chapter Three

Kagome stared at the fire flickering in front of her, the cold stone floor below her hardly giving her the warmth she needed. She had taken Akuran's hand without a second thought, and somehow managed to forget that it was mid-winter and a blizzard had just crossed the western lands a few days ago. Her brain must have been damaged from staying in that cell for too long.

Akuran had disappeared after dropping her off in this cave, hardly giving her any time before waving his hand and starting a fire. So she had stayed alone, curled up as close to the fire as she could get without getting burned. Time didn't pass for her anymore, everything melted against the chilly air surrounding her skin.

"Kagome, I've brought back some food for you in case you're starved. It's true that you haven't eaten for quite a while," Akuran grinned, flashing his fangs as he dropped some deer meat on the floor.

She raised an eyebrow at him, wondering where on earth he had gotten a deer in winter.

"I have my methods."

Kagome hungrily devoured the deer meat, not leaving a trace behind and cleaning the blood on her lips with her tongue. It sure had been a feast after being starved for so long.

"Say…Akuran…you say that you are the guardian, but what if the slave knows about you and purposely defies his or her master? Would you still step in?" she asked.

"I do everything within reason. Trust me, I know when slaves are unworthy to be saved," he snorted, disgusted with the past examples he had had the displeasure of dealing with.

Then it became quite awkward, as the two neither talked nor looked at one another, both of their eyes glued to the fire.

"Sesshoumaru will track you down. Even if he can't, he's tracked me down before when I hid in Kaede-chan's hut." Kagome whispered, though reluctant to acknowledge the fact that Sesshoumaru could easily find her. "He has the mate-searching stone that can easily find me."

"Ah, that little annoying thing. Don't worry about it, it doesn't actually search for you, it merely glows white when he nears a female worthy of being his mate. It won't necessarily be you."

She nodded; satisfied that Sesshoumaru wouldn't easily find her unless he was near her.

"I'll take you to my place; I'm sure you'll love it." Akuran smirked, somehow awakening an uncomfortable feeling from Kagome.

"Okay."

Then for the next few days, they simply traveled. Akuran purposely took her through places that looked good enough to ravish. Who ever said that winter was not beautiful? She saw iced lakes and rivers surrounded by a barrier of pure white snow, decorated with a few leafless trees here and there. What never crossed her mind was the hell that Sesshoumaru was going through because of her disappearance.

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Sesshoumaru slammed a fist down upon the wooden table, the poor table crushed under his power. Papers went flying everywhere and the ink bottle spilled. Damn that woman! He had sent scouts out; looking for any traces of a woman with the teardrop nestled upon her forehead. All of them had failed, and the stupid stone that the counsel had given him had proved to be useless.

Within a few days, he had traveled far and wide, visiting every place he knew of. He even lowered his pride to ask Inuyasha and Kikyo, who had both snorted and slammed the door upon hearing his question. Though he had had the urge to gut those two, he felt that searching out Kagome was more important.

Occasionally the stone would release a soft glow and he would rush towards the destined location, only to find another woman. He growled at the thought; why in the world couldn't the stone just pinpoint one woman!?

Sesshoumaru had practically searched every corner of the four lands, from top to bottom and inside out, he had even considered having the youkai flip the earth to see if Kagome was hiding underground. That idea had of course, been rejected by the four lord counsel.

He had even questioned Nasako about that strange Akuran who had taken her away. The hime's maid had never heard her mention such a person and assured him that she had seen no one with wings meet up with Kagome before.

Then there was the trouble with community. People started questioning him, him, the lord. How dare those impudent humans and youkai!? Rumors flew around the four lands that the Lord of the Western lands didn't have enough power to have his mate-to-be leashed at his side, rumors that the said to be beautiful woman had abandoned Sesshoumaru for the embrace of another male.

His reputation was forever ruined.

All because of that damn woman by the name of Kagome.

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Kagome gaped, no, not gaped; it wouldn't be enough to describe the look on Kagome's face. She was…astounded by the scene Akuran's home created.

She couldn't even understand how Akuran called it home.

It was no home, it was heaven.

It seemed that even in winter, Akuran had the power to create a shield that blocked the outer world from his home. He had the power to stop time from flowing within the barrier, so that time was always spring.

There were flowers, of all sizes in colors blooming in the area. Birds chirped and butterflies danced, a little stream running through the fields. Then when the stream ended, there was a huge lake. Beside that lake was a cottage, the small wooden architecture delicate and pleasing to the eye.

This was the type of house she was content to see, a small house in a large flower field.

When he gently took her hand and led her towards the cottage, Kagome simply allowed him to drag her there, barely any resistance in her steps. All the while she was enchanted by the scene around her, not even caring when Akuran pushed her through the door and inside the cottage. Her eyes barely noticed the differences until Akuran shut the wooden door and the scene disappeared from before her eyes.

"Now, we talk about what you're going to do while you're here," Akuran flashed a grin, his eerie golden eyes seeming to pierce through her.

He made her skin crawl, and she suddenly felt the urge to cower and back away from him. This was wrong, she knew it, and perhaps she shouldn't have come with him at all. The person before her was totally different from the one who had 'rescued' her from Sesshoumaru. Akuram now emitted an aura that suffocated her. It wasn't evil like Naraku's, but it was icy cold and seemed to freeze her on spot.

Then as quickly as that feeling had come, it evaporated so quickly that Kagome couldn't decide whether that feeling earlier had only been her imagination.

"Come now, sit down across me,"

When Kagome came to her senses again, Akuran was already sitting by the mahogany table, motioning for her to sit on the chair directly in front of him. The earlier feeling was gone, and looking at the lopsided smile upon Akuran's face, Kagome couldn't choose to not trust him.

She was so engrossed in her own thoughts that she missed the lazy, cat-like smile that flashed on his fade that meant nothing more than trouble.

_Dear little Kagome, you'll be trapped here with me. My little bird Kagome, ensnared in my grasp. That baka inu would never find you here, in my world. Soon, you'll become __**my**__ mate._

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Sesshoumaru rushed towards the place that someone had last spotted Kagome; it was barren ground, with only snow to decorate that bare land. He smelled the scent of illusion here, immediately knowing that the user of illusion was Akuran. What was his purpose of using illusion in a field like this? Why did he create an illusion, no doubt, for Kagome to see? Where were they now?

So many questions and no answers, even a great lord like him was getting frustrated. He didn't even know why he was chasing that damn woman. There were many others who would willingly become his mate, without kicking and snarling like Kagome had. Maybe he was attracted to her spirit? It had been ages he had met someone who dared to defy him.

"Kagome Higurashi, you will come back to me and become the lady of the West, I'll make sure of it. As for that little bastard Akuran, he will be dead as soon as he is within my sight." Sesshoumaru swore as he walked onwards, looking for traps that were sure to spring.

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Akuran looked as Kagome fooled around with the deer that had appeared one that he had raised.

_Ahhh, rather fast for him. Intruders are never good; don't you think so, Sesshoumaru-sama?_

"Kagome, I'll be leaving for a while. Although it is usually not possible, if anyone comes in, keep them here until I come back," he gave her a smirk and left with a swish of his bright red hair.

Kagome stared after him, her eyes glazed over. It wasn't until Akuran left that she snapped out of her daze. She looked down at herself, what was wrong with her lately? Why did she always seem to enter a sort of…trance when looking at Akuran?

Was there really something wrong with Akuran?

"Sesshoumaru," she whispered, now somehow hoping that he would come quickly to take her out of here.

The whole place was starting to make her feel uneasy. Although at first she had loved the place, very soon she had questions. Hunger didn't claim her and she hardly needed any sleep. Not to say that she needed much sleep as a youkai, but now she never seemed to tire.

The whole joyfulness of the place seemed so false, and a few times after she had wandered off, there had been rather suspicious points in the place. Akuran wouldn't allow her out of the barrier; she began to question where this place really was.

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"Look who's here. To what do I owe the pleasure, Sesshoumaru-sama?" Akuran grinned with a mock smile, though his eyes were sharp and alert.

"Give her back to me," Sesshoumaru stiffly demanded.

"Give who?" Akuran continued to push Sesshoumaru, testing his limits.

"Kagome," Sesshoumaru clenched his fist, yearning to spill the blood of the person before him.

"Really?"

"Give the damn woman back to me!" Sesshoumaru snarled, red tinting his eyes.

"Well, well, a tad bit inpatient aren't we? Do you honestly think that I would allow you to see Kagome so easily? After all, she was mistreated by her…master." Akuran laughed.

Sesshoumaru swiped at Akuran's disappearing form; another illusion. His mocking laughter echoed in his sensitive ears. He cursed the damn 'guardian' when he heard the land beneath him shift. There was movement directly beneath where he stood, and everywhere surrounding him. A sick twisted feeling rose in the pit of his stomach, it wasn't going to be pretty.

"Well you see, I wouldn't want to leave dear little Kagome alone in my world for too long. Who knows what will happen? Perhaps she will discover the little flaw in my illusion and escape from my grasps. I'll leave you here to play with a few of my pets," Akuran laughed and gave a mock bow, melting into the shadows once again.

Sesshoumaru snarled when he spotted himself to be surrounded by ice statues. No, not exactly statues, they were alive and looking extremely menacing at the moment, advancing and closing up on him.

"Damn you Akuran!"

An irritating laugh was all he heard.

Inside his barrier, Kagome looked around, confused. Was it just her imagination, or had she just heard Sesshoumaru? Must be illusions, Akuran had already assured her that Sesshoumaru would never be able to find his way here.

"Kagome-chan."

Kagome grinned and turned around, smiling like an idiot when she spotted the return of Akuran. Seriously, why was she acting like a teenage girl?

"Where did you go?" she asked with a sing-song voice.

"Nothing that is any of your business," Kagome wondered at the cold voice. "Don't worry about it, I've attended to it." Then his charming smile covered everything up again.

A mask.

That was what the smile was.

She was finding Akuran to be more and more suspicious.

"Sa, don't worry about those minor things, I'll show you a place within these barriers that you can go visit. That way, you won't be bored while I'm away," he gave her a wink, gently holding her hands and leading her down a path that she had never noticed to be there.

"Why do you seem so tired?"

"Tired? How can I be tired?" Akuran assured her with a wavering smile.

He was damn close to being spotted by Kagome. Just before she had ventured to a place she should have not have gone, he had returned just in time. With a flick of his elegant claws, he had managed to add some juice to his illusion before Kagome lost interest in staying with him.

His power was currently completely drained.

But he had confidence, that this new illusion would keep Kagome occupied for a while, just about long enough so that he had the chance to forever trap her in here with him. Such a lonely life as a guardian. He had waited long enough for a mate, and he wasn't going to allow Sesshoumaru to take her away.

Kagome gasped at the waterfall in front of her, surrounded by a circle of smooth boulders. The bottom of the lake where the waterfall ended seemed to glitter under the sun, and once she neared it she found that there were colorful pebbles underneath the water surface.

"Akuran, why haven't I seen this place before? While you were away, I've been searching through the whole place, and I never saw this place." Her eyes narrowed a little bit, she just had to be cautious with everyone around her.

"That was because I locked parts of this place so that you wouldn't find everything in one day and quickly lose interest," Akuran placed a claw next to his lips, as if signifying the secrecy of such a fact.

A few more strings to be pulled, and then she would fall in his web. Well, well, he had planned for this for far too long. The deal with Naraku was certainly worth it. Who cared about the Shikon jewel? Naraku could have it, and he would have his mate.

"Come now Kagome, let's go back to dinner."

Kagome nodded her head, allowing Akuran to take a hold of her hand and lead her back to the little cottage.

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AN: so the plot un-folds


End file.
